3 Strategies to Overcome Healthcare Disparity Gaps

Featuring: Bonnie Ward, Market Director, Marketing and Communications, CHI St. Vincent

In our constantly changing world, healthcare inequality remains a prevalent issue impacting societies on a global scale. Despite progress in medicine and technology, a considerable number of individuals still face difficulties in accessing high-quality healthcare, resulting in a continuous disparity in health and well-being outcomes. As we work towards a more equitable society, it is essential that we share and explore strategies to create a fair and healthy future for all.?

Listen to Bonnie Ward, Market Director at CHI St. Vincent, and Alan Tam, Chief Marketing Officer at Actium Health, as they navigate the complexities of equitable care and share successful approaches to minimize health disparities affecting individuals of diverse races, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

1. Getting started.

In order to address health disparities in local communities, health systems should first identify the gaps that exist among groups who have limited access to healthcare services. This can be achieved by analyzing the current patient population and reviewing patient data to determine if individuals from diverse backgrounds or low-income groups have been adequately served. Utilizing existing resources, health systems should allocate a portion of their budget to promoting and providing care to underprivileged groups. With careful planning and execution, targeting these individuals can be accomplished with minimal additional effort.

2. Target audience and communications.

It is highly recommended that you make use of your EMR's patient data to determine your target audience. There are numerous factors to take into account when developing this audience, such as race, insurance, zip code, previous encounters, and more. AI or machine learning can be utilized to further identify consumers that may be high-risk for specific conditions. To gain a better understanding of your audience, research can be conducted using focus groups, social media platforms, and peers. This will help you learn about their preferred communication methods, language, imagery, and where they obtain their information.

Outreach programs perform best when you are educating the audience without being overly personalized. For example, sending best practices for identifying heart conditions vs. heartburn is a non-threatening way to educate the audience and drive them to care. Once you have identified the appropriate target audience and understand their requirements, you can continue to create messaging and visuals for the program.

3. Metrics and ROI.

In today's data-driven landscape, it is important for marketers to track their outreach programs beyond just clicks and form fills, and demonstrate downstream revenue. During this interview, Bonnie discusses CHI St. Vincent’s Heart Smart screening program targeting lower-income African Americans. This initiative allowed recipients to pay a small fee, rather than using insurance, for a comprehensive heart screening. The campaign's goal was to conduct 100 screenings, which they exceeded in the first week, and achieved 300 screenings within one month. Out of these screenings, 18% required follow-up cardiology care. This initiative not only helped consumers get early treatment for potential health risks but also enabled the health system to improve health outcomes for underserved populations.

Subscribe to new Hello Healthcare podcast episode email updates at hellohealthcare.com. This conversation is brought to you by Actium Health in partnership with Greystone.Net and the Healthcare Internet Conference.

About Bonnie Ward

Bonnie Ward has nearly 15 years of experience in advertising and brand marketing development. She has expertise in generating advertising recall and actionable brand loyalty across various mediums including a variety of digital channels, broadcast television, and product catalogs. She has been working in marketing and communications at CHI St. Vincent for more than 6 years.